Bonkers Blog January 2014

Big Spender
I needed to buy a birthday present for a four-year old so I took the bus to Bexleyheath and it
by-passed Northumberland Heath again.
I was ready to blame Bexley council but I now believe there may have been a road closure due to a
traffic accident. Going the long way around non-stop proved to be an
advantage; except for those who may have wanted to get somewhere along Erith Road. I finished up spending a whole £5 in
PoundWorld. The toyshop in the Broadway Shopping Centre was between three and
six times more expensive for the same thing.

It’s all bollardsLast
Wednesday’s ‘bollards’ report brought forth another from someone against whom Bexley
council took unreasonable revenge (well, downright dishonesty actually) about yet
another resident boxed in by Bexley council. I shall have to keep my eye open for more.

Welling CornerI
came home via Welling so that I could pick up a few things in that electrical
Aladdin’s Cave opposite Lidl, PJ Electrics, and couldn’t help noticing that the
junction of Upper Wickham Lane and Bellegrove Road is still a traffic delaying mess. It was first a problem
last April or May.

Bexley council must have no idea of the costs imposed on businesses and
travellers by their cavalier attitude to road disruption.

It’s just the same round the corner in Upper Wickham Lane and It never stops, on
Monday they are going to start digging up Sidcup High Street.

Click the photo for a better view.

Another fine mess
The gales in the early hours of Christmas Eve brought down a lot of walls and
fences in my road and nearby. One wall didn’t fall completely because the
ivy which covered it was just about holding on and needed to be safeguarded by council
barriers. They sent FM Conway out the same day to make sure there was no immediate danger.

By the beginning of this week every single wall and fence had been replaced by
their owners - except for one. That one is the responsibility of Gallions
Housing Association (which we must learn to call Peabody Group now). Typical of
such bodies that they don’t care as much as ordinary home owners. And in case
you think I am being impatient as it is little more than two weeks since people
got back to work after New Year, this particular fence came down during the
overnight gale of 27th/28th October 2013. It represents a considerable security
risk for several people. Peabody or pea brain?

Another report of neglect comes from Sidcup where a corrugated iron fence came
down and exposed passers-by and inquisitive children to the sharp edges. By the
look of the exposed garden the owners are not keen gardeners but according to
neighbours, Bexley council is not interested in securing the site as they did in my road.

Some optimism to end onIf
you are concerned about councillor Don Massey’s plan to store the borough’s
history archive in Bromley in order to save less money than what he and his missus
take home each year in allowances, then click the Twitter image to read what has been
going on since 18th December.